MAUD RETURNS HOME2017-06-18T19:57:51Zhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/feed/atom/WordPressadminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=23442017-06-18T19:57:51Z2017-06-18T19:57:51ZARRIVAL CAMBRIDGE BAY
Maud crew Stig was the first to arrive in CB again this year – spending his first weeks
waking our tug Tandberg Polar up from its 3rd winter hibernation here in CB.
All windows are blinded and we insulate her as best we can to withstand the severe winter cold, averaging in the low minus 30 degrees Celsius. Engines har tested and serviced, and all looks good.
Well done to Stig and Terje who has all our engines as one of their major responsibilities.

This week Stig and I have had some wonderful early summer days looking over Maud and starting over where we finished last autumn preparing Maud and barge Jensen for the long trip home to Norway, hopefully starting before the end of this summer, probably around the last part of August, when the ice situation allows us to sail throughout the Northwest Passage direction Greenland, that will probably be our next winter stop. Ideally we will arrive Greenland mid September if all goes well.

Our main tasks in the weeks and months to come is to prepare Maud and Jensen as well as our tug for the long journey home. These days Stig and I have cleaned all the straps and ropes around Maud that was used for the lifting operation and Maud looks even better ( if possible) after being stripped.
Inside we are still working to empty loose pieces of wood and mud in the front section of Maud around the main windlass. The one that was also on board famous polarship Fram. Still some tons to dig out will keep us busy for another couple of weeks.

Maud seem to have enjoyed her first winter above the ice since 1930. She has rested on top Jensen through the whole winter and has had good conditions for starting her slow drying process. Experts suggest temperatures in the far low minus as ideal for drying and it was not very difficult for us to arrange for that. Specially the surface of the wood can benefit from this freeze drying process to secure as much as possible of the original surface structure of the wood.

I must say it was a warm welcoming feeling to enter Maud again these last days. The temperatures has raised above 0 degrees Celsius and when the sun comes through it feels like the perfect place to be.
We can smell the warm wood of the old lady and every day we find new details that makes this recovery story ever more gratifying for all of us.

In a couple of weeks our team will be complete for the summer when Terje and Bjørn arrives.
and as July arrives the ice will open around Maud and we can continue our preparations with
Tandberg Polar long side. We are looking forwards to another eventful summer with Maud in the high arctic.

Many thanks to Nunavut Tourism for helping us out to get promotional tickets for
our flight up north this time.
As you well know Tandberg Eiendom of Norway stands alone financing this whole project of bringing Maud back home to Norway.

jan wanggaard – mrh

Maud can experience the spring melting in CB from above the ice this year.
photo: jan w

Clearing the floor for the big dance.
photo: jan w

And there was light.
photo: jan w

Heavenly ladder close to Maud
photo: jan w

Stig deals with some tight old knots from last year lifting operation.
photo: jan w

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=23282016-09-25T18:31:44Z2016-09-25T18:31:44Z
After finally being able to lift Maud up from her 85 year long rest on the seabed, we have now had a short month of hard work cleaning her out. Tons of mud has been dug out from every room inside the old ship. Its been an exciting process despite being very dirty and tiring.
We have dug out lots of interesting items of great interest and it will take years to sort it all out carefully.
Most of all we just feel extremely happy to see the enormous hull of Maud out of the water and also to see what good shape she is in despite all the years that has passed since she sunk in 1930.
Now Maud is ready to face her first winter up in the air and she will dry slowly out to loosen some weight before she will start her long journey home next summer.

jan w

Three times HURRA by three times Tandberg brothers on top of Maud.
photo jw-mrh

As Maud raised from the seabed and into the air, she exposed her wide body and powerful expression in general.
photo jw-mrh

Maud inside before starting an enormous clean up job
Present status of the inside after taking out loose materials for storage and dig out tons of Maud mud.
photo jw-mrh

Maud exposes an impressive wall of oak in an extremely good state.
photo jw-mrh

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=23182016-08-01T16:08:05Z2016-08-01T16:08:05ZMAUD FLOATS AGAIN
And then in suddenly Maud with all her history and symblic power chose to release herself and let the cold arctic water caress her keel again after 85 years heavily resting on the bottom of the sea, far away from home.

I was filling an airbag at the stern of Maud. A very common daily activity during the last month in Cambridge Bay. While floating wightless under water behind the Maud observing the bag being filled within some minutes I was a little mindless to make the waiting time pass. My eyes were resting at the back of the heavy chunky rudder at the very back of Maud. The water is always pretty misty when diving around Maud as the mud is so light and stir up only by a small wave of my hand. I noticed a little more misty water than usual just along side the rudder, and it caught my attention, really without putting much notice of it, but small changes in the nearby environment has taught me to become aware and without much thought I inflate a little air into my suit and rise slowly to the surface only some meters above.

I saw the image of Stig as I surfaced and his face was simply just a big smile. What a great view.
Instantly I realized the reason. Maud is lifting. Within the next half minute she came, slowly, with grace, just like a Queen shall do it.

She surfaced.

I turned my head to Bjørn on the shore. His hands reached over his head, and I felt a strange rush of warmth coming to my head as my hands waved back to him. It was like in slow motion.
In one moment all our qustions diluted into silence and I let myself sink slowly down to greet the old lady Maud, who finally had let go. She was free, again after all these years.
I swam all the way down to the rudder and had to let my hand feel under it. Yes there was for sure plenty of water under her. I saw a wonderful line of light all along the keel forward. Maud floats again.
Dear Roald Amundsen. The story of Maud and her destiny has not come to and end. She floats again. Nearly 100 years after you baptised her in Vollen. She will sail home again, and I welcome you to come along. Its time to rest.

I honour my crew, I honour the Tandbergs for supporting us and I honour Roald Amundsen.
We are now one big step closer to see Maud back in Vollen.

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=23012016-08-01T15:01:57Z2016-08-01T15:01:57Z
BUSY BODIES
So now we have had about three full weeks spending all time installing two kinds of airbags, one is open like a parachute and the other is closed and bright yellow. Each airbag can contain around 4 qubic metre of air which gives 4 tons of lifting force to Maud. It is easy to understand that thes bags need to be fastened securly and this is quite a challenge as it all need to be done manually and each bag is heavy and bulky. One major challenge is also that the water gets misty as we work and after on dive the visibiliy is practically like zero. I really have had a good practice in making knots blindfolded down under Maud.

AIRBAGS PLENTY
These days we have installed around 40 airbags and they are inflated as we install them. Still we have quite a few to go and we do cross our fingers and hands that we will have sufficient available lifitng power to bring Maud free from the seabed after close to 85 years resting on the sea bed.
Stig and Bjørn and myself were here alone untill a short week ago when Terje and KJell came to join us.
We also have had Dan from a norwegian newspaper here for the last couple of weeks, hanging around with us. Soon he will hopefully make a good news update on our project.

So as August is knocking at the door, the midnight sun is dipping into the horizon and the nights are not as bright any more but the weather is quite good, on and off. The winds is really the biggest challenge when it comes to dealing with the weather, as we have no protection from the wind when spending long days around Maud. Sometimes we have a quiet day and its a blessing. The temperature is between 0 and 10 celcius which is really perfect for hard work outside.

So thats the reality of out days. Our days are full of on challenge after the other and despite seeming to to soemthing quite monotonous every day is putting us into situation where we need to use all the skills and experience we can gather. Sometimes we have small setbacks but as the days roll on we know there is progress and every day we are one step closer to reach out first obvious target, namely to free Maud from the seabed and make her float with the help of all the airbags attached all around her.
Maud is extremely heavy. She was built stronger than any wooden boat ever built in Norway. And we can not really know the exact weight of her where she rest today. We have had many estimates made by qualified people but there is not exact number in tons. We have to wait and see. The easiest way is just to keep on installing more airbags, until she finally will float. Let that day happen soon.

When Maud is afloat she will still be submerged and only first when we have moved her over barge Jensen that will be put down on the seabed on deeper water, then we can start the final process of pushing Maud up and out of the water. But that is the future and we are living in the present.

As I write these words I am soon off to the Maud camp ready for another dive on Maud. Normally I reach two dives in a day keeping everyone busy manouvering airbags and straps into position for being installed. That Is our summer of 2016 until now. But things will happen soon.

jan w

Bjørn playing with the yellow ballons as the ice melts rapidly around us
photo: jw

Stig is the master a all trades and jensen is our dear companion
photo: jw

As maud tilts into a more horisontal position with her keel resting on the seabed – she become invisible from above the sea. Hopefully temporary.
photo: jw

Preparations for a new day. Refilling of diving bottles and new airbags on the ramp.
photo: jw

Seen from Tandberg Polar Maud rests on the seabed only a meter or so under the surface.

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=22672016-06-19T10:20:09Z2016-06-17T10:05:18ZMild winter – still ice plenty
Its been a long winter as always around old Maud in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. Being a record mild winter in the Arctic we imagined the spring to arrive a little earlier, but as we now reach into the last half of June it seems to be an ice opening close to what we experienced last year, which was around the first week of July.
So that means we will again have a few summer months to hopefully complete the task of raising Maud out of the arctic water after more than 80 years resting at the sea bed deep into the Northwest Passage where she sank in 1930, after having spent 7 years serving Roald Amundsen and his crew, on their ambitious attempt to drift across the North Pole during the years 1918 to 1925. After the end of the expedition Amundsen lost Maud to creditors and the ship was few years later left and abandoned by the new owner Hudson Bay Company.
I dont know if Maud has slept this winter or if she has kept one eye open wondering what was really happening last summer, after all these years in silent solitude. Does she feel a slight excitement, just like we do, sensing something deep in her belly. A coming change.
Maud sailed into the arctic nearly one hundred years ago. A lot has happened since then. The world has changed in many ways. She sailed into the Arctic on a scientific expedition to reveal yet hidden secrets of the North Pole region. Some of the men on board Maud later became world renown scientists, and the scientific results derived from the Maud expedition was groundbreaking in its time.
Today the arctic is suffering from a melt down partly caused by human impact on the globe as a whole. I believe, if Amundsen, Sverdrup, Dahl and all the other men that gave years of their life to explore the mystery of the high arcic, I belive if they knew what our modern lifestyle has caused of negative impact on mother nature, they would be both saddened and harmed. When you spend years of your life in deep contact with nature you become bonded. You become nature yourself. You gradually find yourself not being able to separate yourself from it all. Nature become your flesh and blood. I find it relevant to bring this to mind, to actually take this moment to reflect. It can be a way of honoring the men on board Maud, and those long years spent in Arctic desolation, only one hundred years ago, when the world looked so different from today. The Maud expedtition was the beginning of the modern exploration of this remote region of planet earth.
Sometimes I can feel as if it all happened yesterday. Seeing Maud, torn by the time, but still so much alive and communicative. What will be in another 100 years. We will be gone, but what about our great grand children. Will mother nature still be there for them, in all her beauty, the same way it has been for us?
Sometimes I wish to live just the simplest possible life. Fullfil Harald U. Sverdrups dream.
Sail away on a drifting iceberg to whereever it takes me.
But first. The old Queen is waiting.

More lifting power
Its been a hectic winter for the small MRH team, refining our plans for this years adventure.
When arriving last year we had no direct experience in the lifting procedure for Maud, as this is quite an extreme manouver to performe in an isolated place in the high arctic. We have freezing cold water and a very short window to perform the operation. Last summer our learning curve was steep. This year we have an enormous degree of experience to bring with us, and we have prepared a lifting operation very much based on valuable new inputs from the summer of 2015.
First of all we now have a good estimate for the weight of Maud being submerged. We have also now made the basis for a lifting support under the keel, which will make it possible to install lifing forces all along the hull of Maud. We have also arranged for a new set of lifting ballons and new spectra ropes to
be on the safe side when it comes to lifting potential. So we feel good without being big headed.
And we are also extremely happy just to be ready for another challenging season in the Arctic.

So all in all we are feeling pretty much ok. Within the coming week we will all be in CB making preparation to proceed as soon as the ice opens around Jensen the barge and Maud herself.
Last year the ice opened around the 5th of July. Stig has been there allready for a period and prepared Tandberg Polar, our tug, for a new working season. TP has survived two winters in CB and it is quite a challenge to make happen, considering the severe cold we experience here during the long winter.
This year we are hoping to give those who wish to follow our work a better follow up on what is happening. I will update you later on the details as soon as things are more defined.

Which way home – and when
When Maud finally has surfaced. What then? We dont wish to be known for predicting to much into the future, but we have actually spent some time thinking and planning alternative scenarios for how to proceed when Maud is up and floating with the support of Jensen the barge. Maud will loose a lot of weight after surfacing, and we wish to let this happen as we secure her for the long journey home.
We also wish her to experience a freeze drying winter, as suggested from those who know such matters best. This can really happen anywhere as long as the temperature ideally is in the pretty low minus.
The right moment for departure will be when we are ready to go.
When sailing out of Cambridge Bay we can turn to port. That is to the east towards Greenland, passing
Gjøa havn on the way out of the Northwest Passage. That is the same direction as we arrived in September 2014.

On the other hand, if we turn to starboard, we will sail westward direction the Bering Strait and further into the Northeast Passage over Russia and finally end up in Vardø, North Norway.
That is a thrilling thought. This is the route Maud sailed originally, only opposite direction, during the first years of The Maud Expedition. This home sailing alternative is around 30% longer than the other way, but we will not need to cross the Atlantic ocean, and to actually sail home through the old path of Maud could be a wonderful way to not only honor Maud and her men, but also to make some stops and actually visit the winter harbours of Maud and finally arrive Vardø, in the very North of Norway. The same little town Maud departed in July 1918. That would just be a dream come through for us all, and a great bonus.
To enter The Northern Sea Route as the Russians call is subject to a sailing permition. We have spent some time this winter to present the idea of sailing home over Russia and we have actually met great support in charing this historic home trip with the Russians, as they have a great love for the Polar History and Roald Amundsen is a great hero also in Russia. This idea is still in the planning stage but we have great hopes to realize this dream.
But as I have to remind myself and everyone else. First thing first.

I hope those of you who follow our slow evolving project of bringing Maud back to Vollen and Norway
can, like us, enjoy the experience of all the many aspects of this endeavour, facinating and challenging at the same time.

The winter ice in Cambridge Bay melts rapidly during the last part of June.
photo: jw

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=22072015-11-21T14:40:07Z2015-11-21T12:23:35Z
After arriving Cambridge Bay in June this year our plan was to prepare Maud for being lifted out of the water, after being ignored and abandoned on the seabed in the high north for the last 85 years. The summmer is short in Cambridge Bay. There is ice free water for less than three months of the year. So in early July we could start diving and begin the process of preparing for lifting Maud out of the arctic water and finally up on our barge named Jensen.
Our Tug Tandberg Polar and Jensen arrived from Norway september 2014, after crossing the atlantic from Norway and into the Nortwest Passage and CB, just before the winter set in.
In August we reached a milestone when being able to make the first movement on Maud and during September we finally released Mauds keel from the sea bed, finding the state of the hull in prime condition. Still the entire lift out of the water remains as the new winter came rapidly closer. So we decided to call it a day and decide to wait untill next year for the final lift.
This was an easy decition to make for us, as we have known all the way that we can not fight nature in this project. We have known ever since we started that we can not force the natural progress of this project as it evolves.

Below you can read some more about the essential elements involved relative to the challenge of lifting Maud, that we experienced this summer. And the pictures will hopefully give a good glimpse into the daily life of our small Maud Returns Home team, all the way from from June till October 2015.

Last aerial taken from a box kite before packing up for a new winter.
kiteview – photo jw

STRAPPING
The first weeks after arrival we waited for the ice to melt after 10 months of winter conditions and in early July we were able to start the first preparations with defining and installing the heavy rope system around Maud.
As our principle is to work light, without big and heavy technical installations, we chose to use light super strong ropes, called spectra or hydema, the thickest being around 55mm in diameter with a breaking force of between 150-200 tons which is close to equivivalent to what a steel wire of the same dimentions would carry. But the genious is that these ropes weighs only a fraction of what a wire of the same strength would do. In this way we can install these ropes under watrer simply by manual labour of a diver, with some additional support from above.

It was first in early July that the ice around Maud opened and gave us access to start our work.
photo: jw

Clean and innocent, early summer images. Ready to go for it, and full of potential energy.
photo: jw

Stig steps off the last piece of ice and into a summer of endless challenges.
photo: jw

Stig built a little work raft from old driftwood,that proved to be invaluable for us throughout the summer.
photo: jw

Starting the long slow process of strapping up Maud, to prepare her for the big lift.
photo: jw

AIRBAGS
In addition to these ropes that become a strapping system around Maud the second major element in the preliminary raising processs are the big chunky solid inflatable airbags with a volume of around 13000 liter, which gives a lifting force under water up to 13 tons each.
Each airbag weighs around 400kg but become more or less weightless under water with a help of a few small cans for bouyancy. So these airbags can also be handled manually by divers.

Each airbag weighs around 400kg and are heavy to move around untill they reach the water.
photo: jw

Airbags ready for launching and being submerged and attached to the strapping system around Maud.
photo: jw

We rebuilt the closed airbags into parachutes with open ends. This turned out to work much better for handling .
photo: jw

PREPARATIONS
So the first period of the summer kept us busy preparing for the initial lift of Maud from the seabed and it developed into a big challenge. Maud is resting on the seabed in shallow water and as soon as she is released from the seabed she will start to be exposed over tha water and thus its weight will increase rapidly. This gives us a minimal true distance to lift on regarding the attacments for the straps and the lifting airbags, which became one of our main challenges to deal with.

There is always someone willing to listen to Bjørns stories.
photo: jw

WEIGHT
Under water the oak wood is only around 10% percent of the weight compared to above the water. This is of course due to its volume and therefore it has more bouyancy. On the other hand all the iron on board Maud is more or less the same weight underneath as above the water surface. The engine alone is aprox 13 tonn but Maud has an enormous amount of steel reinforcements and bolts all around and we really dont know for sure the total weights all together. In total it is practically impossible to estimate the total weight of Maud, so all we can do is to estimate from what we have read and heard and conclusions made based on this.
In additon we have had technical estimates done by several engeneers but the results are very variable depending on all the wide parameters so the conclusion is again that we really have to
introduce all the possibly bouyancy we can be able to achieve with our airbags for the inital lift from the seabed.
Another unknown factor can also be that Maud was ballasted for stability but this we have no records on. Again this gives us a reason to imagine Maud to be possibly heavvier than any of the
technical estimates that has been produced.

Many people have also brought up the challenge of a vacum effect when starting the initial lift
which will be a tilt of Maud into and upright postion, as Maud rests on the seabed with her port side down on the seabed. The port angle is aprox 15 degrees. So when starting to pull this side up we might experience a vacum created between the hull and the seabed as there will be a volum here that can not be compensated with air or water. Our idea is that as we start pulling with our airbags the vacum will gradually be compensated with water after some hours or even days of constant lifing/pulling force by the airbags.

STATE OF THE SHIP
Another issue that many people have brought up and worried about is that Maud possibly will fall apart when we start to lift her. From our experience of the quality of the wood and iron nails and bolts, in addition to my observation from numerous dives around Maud over the years, this is not an issue we consider to be a reason to worry.
There is, and has been, of course a lot of tear and wear going on in the upper parts of Maud where the ice and elements have been chewing bits and pieces of the old ship over the years,
and there is a still a constant process going on in this respect. But there is nothing we can do about that , other than get Maud out of this harsh environment and protect her for the future.
We also know that after Maud sunk she was totally stripped and all the exposed wood and valuables in addtion to the rigg was stripped off the once so proud polar ship.

This port side of Maud has been hidden for 85 years, was a revelation to the eye when it came free.
photo: dag l h

AIRBAG and ROPE ISSUES
To cut a long story short of continious hard work, week after week under and over the water, we found the airbags more or less impossible to be installed horisontally along the loop of heavy rope attached around the Maud. In the inflating process the bags tended to find their way up in the most original manners. We tried numerous ways of getting around this challenge and ended up, making a radical change by cutting them in half and make vertical parachute principle lifting bags with open ends underneath. This was an immideate success but the rebuilding of the airbags was quite a job to do, but the installation became seemingly effortless, at least compared to what we had experienced untill that time.
We experienced a different , but also mentally similar challenge when it came to attaching the chunky ropes around the hull of Maud. In the inflating process when the ropes got multiple tons
of lifting power we experienced a slight lengthening of the ropes as a result of the knots tightening up as well as a minor stetch. Having minimal available vertical lifting distance to the sea surface, we experience the need to establish several retightening of the whole system.
All these issues became both time consuming and physically challenging for our small team.

A common view, summer 2015 in Cambridge Bay. An organized chaos.
photo: jw

MAUD TILTED UPRIGHT
Then finally, well into the arctic summer we could enjoy to see the port side of Maud slowly coming up towards the surface as we tilted her upright on the keel. This was a big moment for us all as this was the first movement of the old ship ever since she sunk here in CB in 1930. Not only was this an important milestone. It was also a tremendous clearification for us with respect to important issues. First of all the port side of the hull was exposed and showed to be in excellent conditon and for me who could enjoy this from underneath the water it just confirmed my strong notion of the enormous emotional impact of the old ship. Our eagerness to make Maud and her incredible story was really reignited and lit into fire. Again.
It is as if this process of bringing Maud home carries the whole story of Maud in itself. The timeless aspect, not least.

Most of the airbags being used are not visible above the surface as Maud is being tilted horizontal.
photo: jw

There is always something need fixing. And Terje is a prime fixer.
photo: jw

MAUD FRONT LIFT
Then several weeks later we could finally put enough lifting power on the front part of Maud, to finally free the keel from the seabed and expose a exact mirror shape of the hull left in the hard mud. LIke a smooth concrete floor. Now Maud only rested on the sebed at the very back, which again meant we were about to run out of time – to start making preparations for a new winter.
We were well aware that within the next weeks the winter could set in. So all we could do was to set Maud down again, now knowing that we have cracked the code and within a short period of preparations next year we will be able to make Maud float.

Jensen proved to be a super working tool for us. Here she is tilted with the help of pumping water in or out.
photo: jw

A quiet evening is always a blessing
photo: jw

STATUS SUM UP
So there we are. In the summer of 2015 Maud finally felt water under her keel again, for the first time since 1930. She made her first moves, not all the way out of the water, but more than enough to make us confident that she can be lifted the way we have intended. The beginning of a movement towards a final resting place for Maud in well protected environment.
We were assured that Maud is still strong and capable of handling the stress of being lifted, and we were also assured that our lifting principle works well, after some adjustment, still using simple principles for lifting the old polarship out of her wet cold temporary grave.
We were challenged to the limit of our capabilities, but that is how it should be. We had to push ourself and be persistent and we have known all the way that this was not going to be an easy task. But we still feel strong and confident – and also humble.
When writing these words Maud and Jensen is laying close together, nose to nose, while the new winter ice rapidly grows around them. Tug TP is being kept winter warm at the dock in CB. Its minus 25 there allready now and it will still be much colder as the winter is progressing.
Finally I wish to thank the Tandberg´s for their steady support all the way.
Lets hope for a blessing 2016.
We are all -one- after all.

jan w

After some time they were all teamed up in a shared effort to free Maud. Tandberg Polar, Jensen and lady Maud.
photo: jw

Diver Dag prepares for a swim, recording the develoment under the surface.
photo: jw

As the summer closed in Maud came closer to the surface. But still not yet enough.
photo: jw

Sigurd and Stig discussing the weather.
photo: jw

Stig is as entusiastic as us all, showing a little finding from down under.
photo: jw

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=21792015-07-04T19:55:24Z2015-07-04T17:44:23Z
FIRST PREPARATIONS
After a few weeks here in Cambridge Bay it has turned from late winter to early summer. The ice seem to evaporate more than melt and Maud will soon be free from the ice again. Barge Jensen and tug TP are still held in the grip of the ice, but things happens fast now in the next coming weeks.

Our man Stig has really found his place her in CB as he arrived well before Bjørn and I and we all feel very pleased with the present status.

The last weeks we have been able to move over a bunch of airbags from the barge to the Maud site only a few 100 meters away. We have also prepared the heavy ropes that will be attached to Maud as soon as the ice opens fully.

SUM UP
In short this all means we are well into the preparations for the first stage of lifting Maud free from the sea bed with the help of giant airbags.

But still we need to wait for the ice to open up and this might still take another couple of weeks.

So patience is a virtue and we have no problem filling the time with meaningfull activities, ranging from directionsless walks in the arctic emptiness, to catching a lake trout for a late night meal while watching the never ending sunset.

In general we feel pretty good with a sensible portion of excitement for the coming weeks and months.
I will do my best updating you on our progress in the weeks and months to come.
We feel excited but still pretty focused on the day to day challenges.
The ice melts rapidly and I will update you on our progress in the weeks to come.

Chunky Maud oak at starboard side coming up out of the spring ice.
photo: jw

Time for some ice fishing on the lakes before the short summer break up.
photo: jw

Jensen framed in the last winter ice before an exciting summer in Cambridge Bay.
photo: jw

Our good man Stig is busy making a floating platform for us to play on – like kids. Sorry – this is a serious mission and no playing around of course.
photo: jw

Airbags for lifting gathered around the Maud cairn
photo: jw

The MRH base team gathered in our dear couch at the Maud beach
photo: jw

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=21592015-05-29T17:50:12Z2015-05-29T12:12:06Z
The last week before easter I was reported from Ann and Glenn that the ice had grown so thick around TP that the inlet for the cooling water for the generator engines had been blocked by ice. That meant in practice that the back up system for our deck generator was not there any more. Our deck generator that has been running all winter and produced electricity on board TP has been running smoothly and been reliable all the way so we didnt have any immedeate worry but still I didnt like the ide to be be without a safe back-up.
So I talked to Stig and we decided to head for CB in the easter to see if we could fix this little issue, so we could look ahead into the last spring months with peace in mind.

Being a long trip we also decided to challenge ourself in some issues around som new winter filming. Recently I have been playing around with the idea of introducing a new concept of making 360 degrees film recording to be presented in the future House of Maud. So we did some preliminary experimentation with this in some incredible late winter brilliant winter scenery. Curious to see how this will all evolve.

The temperature was still steady in the minus 30 degrees celcius scale so we didnt really get a strong spring sensation but the light is certainly brilliant white and and the night light was improving every day.

Kitelife is a great way of getting an overall view of reality.
kitephoto – jw

Stig and I – into the white
kitephoto – jw

Tandberg Polar has spent the winter in the ice – close to Maud
photo – jw

Stig and I spent a sunny day in minus 35 digging through 2 meter of ice to reach the water intake for the backup generator in TP.
photo – jw

A SMALL WINTER REPORT
I end this little update with a small winter report I received in January-15 to give you an idea of the living situation here i CB for our TP caretakers Ann and Glenn.
Report from Tandberg Polar in Cambridge Bay:
We were delighted to have the opportunity to be caretakers aboard Tandberg Polar this winter in Cambridge Bay. We sailed our 12 metre aluminium sailboat, Gjøa, from the U.K. to Cambridge Bay this past summer. In 2010/11, we had spent a year cruising in Norway and Svalbard and knew of the Maud and her history. We first met Tandberg Polar and the Maud Returns Home crew in Aasiat, Greenland in July. We met again at Fort Ross in the North West Passage in August. We were able to share ice chart information and exchange ice navigation strategy. They experienced the same challenging 2014 ice conditions we did and arrived at Cambridge Bay just a few days after us in September. We wanted to stay in Cambridge Bay for the winter, but, were unsure how Gjøa would serve as a winter home in the ice. Tandberg Polar needed to be kept warm and secure and the best way to do that was to have someone aboard. We were only too glad to step in and assist.

Tandberg Polar is surviving the winter well so far. The most recent blizzard last week was a little worrying, but, everything came through ok. We have had to overcome a few technical challenges and cannot have running water aboard, but, we have been able to keep both ourselves and the boat reasonably warm, safe and comfortable in the harsh conditions. We are confident that when the MRH crew comes back to Cambridge Bay they will be able to return TP to active service without too much effort, allowing them to concentrate on the more important Maud recovery work.

TP is firmly held by the ice, but, the ice does move with the tide and TP moves with it. We often hear loud cracks and booms as it moves. We are leaning quite a bit to one side and this sometimes makes daily life somewhat challenging, it’s an uphill walk to our bunks, it’s hard to keep things on tables and all cooking comes out rather lopsided!

Today, January 17, it is -38C with ice crystals in the air. We welcomed the sun back above the horizon on January 11. Sunrise today is 10:58, sunset 13:23. The daylight hours are rapidly increasing every day. By May 19 there will be twenty-four sunlight.

We will be leaving Cambridge Bay, with Gjøa, in August heading westbound to Alaska. We hope to be able to see Maud aboard Jensen before we leave and we also hope to attend the grand opening in 2017 when Maud has finally returned home!

SHORT SUMMER SEASON
One day we had nice autum weather in Cambridge Bay. The next day it was full winter. This year it all happened much earlier than previous years. The summer was short but luckily the ice opened enough for us to arrive with TP and Jensen. That gives us the best opportunity to head on with our salvage plans as soon as the Cam Bay opens up next year, hopefully in late june. That will give us the time we need to raise Maud during the summer and prepare the old lady for the first stage of the long journey back to Vollen and Norway.
All in all it might be meaningfull to get a bit of rest now after this intensive summer bringing TP and Jensen across the ocean and through the NWP. It has taken its toll on all of us, and as we are a small working group we do feel like charging our batteries and gain new energy and motivation for next year big challenge.

WHAT NOW
In the last weeks the MRH crew has left for Norway and yesterday Stig who is done an enormous job for us this summer packed up and flew direction south and home.
TP has undegone a process of being prepared for the cold winter and luckily we have found a couple from Canada Ann and Glenn Bainbridge who will spend the winter on board and be caretakers for us. They have sailed with their boat GJOA to Cambridge Bay and wanted to overwinter here, so it was a winwin situation for all of us when they moved in to TP some weeks ago when their boat was put on the shore.

Apart from all these practicalities it will be good for all of us now, at least for some months to come, to regain focus on the essence of this whole operation. To again look more into the planning process for the Maudhouse in Vollen and the primary contents of this major challenge. There is a well of historical data, from the most technical and higly scientific reports to the most personal readings put in words by the crew on board Maud over the years, that we will aim to sculpt into a strong and communicative whole, in the years to come.
This said I am extremely happy to know that Tandberg Polar, Jensen and Maud will spend the winter in the same neighborhood, up in the high arctic. There is progress.
Slow but sure.

jan

Jensen was parked just before the winter set in in Cambridge Bay.
jw

September kitewalk – wishing Maud winter well
jw

Winter 1. Maud in CB Sept.14
jw

Winter 2. Jensen in CB Sept.14
jw

Two teenager Tundra Swan bypassers on the new ice around Maud.
jw

Maudwood freezing in for a new winter.
jw

Stig builds a winter house on deck as we insulate TP for the winter temperatures down to minus 50
jw

TP is getting ready for winter hybernation
jw

Bjørn and Terje, two major parttakers in the Maud Returns Home adventure.
jan

Last remaining MRH crew in CB, portraited for the local newspaper in Nunavut. bjørn, jan and stig
navalik tologanak

RENDEZVOUS MAUD
To see Maud last night in Cambridge Bay, close up with TP and barge Jensen was as to witness a love affair come through.
An earthly power of natural will become materialized – at one glance.
The whole experience of travelling here has been much like a classic drama. We have been through heavy weather of all kind before arrival here in Cambridge Bay. It has been a journey of more than 7000 kilometers. We have felt very much alive.

Thank you to Terje, Eirik, Erik, Stig, Bjørn and Hermann for your great work on TP this summer. Thanks to Dag Leslie in CB.
And a big thank you to the Tandbergs for their endless support.
and also thanks to all those who let us borrow your loved ones for the entire summer of 2014.
We are again at the end of another beginning. Maud is a grand lady,
and she is one step closer to home. And so is Amundsen.

PRESENT STATUS
Today I write 12th of September 2014. In less than one month we can expect the ice to freeze up around us here i Cambridge Bay. Before that we will use the time as best we can to preapare the salvage operation of Maud and also the preparations for TP to spend the winter her in CB.
As we already now experience below zero celcius temperatures here in CB, we know the winter is around the corner. We will now make ourselves
best possibly prepared for action when the ice opens around July next year.
It has been a long summer and the tranport of TP and Jensen from Vollen to Cambridge Bay has taken most of our attention and energy. So it is. We do look forward now to gain a new focus and fresh angle of approach before we head into the next chapter of Maud Returns Home.
Thanks to all those who has followed and supported us so far.
There is for sure more to come.

all the best
jan

TP, Jensen and Maud together. A new milestone for MRH.
jw

Tandberg Polar in the ice-1
graeme wilding

TP pushing through the ice in Bellot Strait
stig.p

Jensen plays well in the power game
stig.p

Skipper Hermann take a deserved rest
stip.p

Erik and Eirik
stig.p

Stig on the rocks
bjørn.m

Snow is in the air.
stig.p

coffie time is happy hour
]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=20222014-12-10T10:21:04Z2014-08-30T16:24:13Z

HOPEFULLY SOON
Tandberg Polar is now hopefully at any time departing for its last stretch towards Cambridge Bay. It has been an intence period the last weeks waiting for the ice to open, discussing the development of the ice situation and observing how the wind pushes the drift ice around.
This was also an observation professor Sverdrup on board Maud made during the Maud expedition when trying to drift with the current, fixed in the ice, across the North pole nearly 100 year ago.
The wind factor is really to be considered. Open water is now appearing along the coast drown from Bellot strait towards Gjøa Havn giving open water for further advance, clearly as a consequence of an easterly wind the last couple of days.
Lets do hope Tandberg Polar will be able to reach Cambridge Bay this coming week so we can start changing our focus, finally.

TUNING UP IN CAMBRIDGE BAY
While our Tug and Barge is hoping for an opening in the ice, photographer/diver Dag Leslie and myself are keeping busy preparing for the events to come. We are make physical preparations over and under the water as well as some more detailed planning for the lifting operation iself. As it looks now we will have only a short month of work until we have to prepare everything for the winter. In practice this means we will have limited time for doing what we want. The weeks to come will give us the answers.
It is always best to have the main focus on what needs to be done first, and then take things as they appear. Though we do need to operate with several variables.
One question that is arising these days is whether we will have enough time for the rising operation this autum, but at this point in time it is too early for speculations.

NEW PERSPECTIVES
Being interested in the aviation history of Roald Amundsen I have spent some time lately experimenting with an attempt to get some aerial photo images of Maud, where she has spent the last good 80 years.
Last autum I brought a little drone to CB that crashed as a consequence og interfering radiosignals from the local radiotower. At least that is my theory if it wasnt mr Amundsen playing with me.
So after giving up this noisy high-tec version I turned to Amundsens and picked up his idea of making a kite. Amundsen used kites for different things both before and during the Maud expedition. One purpose was to measure the strength and direction of the wind at various hights above the ground. This was purely for scientific recordings, but he also did some tests with man lifting kites before the Fram expedition to the south pole. These kites were ment to be used as a help to navigate through drift ice, simply to find the easiest way through the pack. By bringing yourself or someone else (this activity could not be without risk) high up above the ship you can see much further than from sea level. Amundsens kites were ment to lift a person up to several hundred meteres abouve the ground.
My ambition is simply to lift a gopro camera up with the help of a kite, which is less complicated and less risky than lifting my self (or anyone else) and the intention is to get an overall perspctive of the area where Maud has spent more than 80 years.
It is always in general good to get a perspective from above. To get elevated. To see it all in one glance.
To see Maud from above surely gives an impression of clearification. Yes it is really a ship laying down there. From sea level we can only see what sticks out of the water, which really is only the tip of the iceberg, so to say.

MAUD BELL DONATION
Passing over Edmonton in Canada on my way to Cambridge Bay recently, I had the pleasure to meet the family Norma Jean and Don Smithson and their son Phillip.They had a great little treasure they wanted to donate to the Maud Returns Home Project, namely what is thought to be a Bell once belonging to Maud. Family Smithson bought the bell back in 1978 from Richard Flatt who at that time lived in Cambridge Bay. If anyone reading this has more to tell related to the story of this bell we would love to know. The Bell will find its way to Vollen and Norway together with old Maud and be presented there in a future House of Maud. Thank you very much Norma Jean and Don.

Revival kite test flying around Maud
marina prado nogueira

Flying kites – different times – same principle

photo left: marina prado nogueira

Kite-test reward. There is an old ship down there.
jw

Clearing the sea bed.There is a lot of lifting power in a small submerged ballon.
d.l.hansen

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=20102014-08-20T18:28:44Z2014-08-20T18:27:19Z
The ice melting this summer has been slow, so no ships has yet been able to cross in or out through the famous passage.

Just now Tandberg Polar is heading slowly down Prince Regent Inlet on its way down hopefully to be able to continue through the last stretch towards Cambridge Bay.

The last days the ice has opened up a lot and everything looks more promising than ever. So we cross our fingers that TP and Jensen can head on and reach Cambridge Bay within a week.

I have now left the tug on Greenland and travelled to Cambridge Bay
to make preparations there and try to back up the TP-crew with the latest ice and wind reports to help them push through to Cambridge Bay.
September is generally a good month for open water so we still have time to get things done before the new winter sets in. First new ice normally sets in the middle of October.

take care
jan

This is all what it is about these days. Reading the ice maps, constantly receiving new updates. Watch the wind and changes in ice movements. And then make the right decitions for what to do.

canadian-gov-map

Windmap of the same area showing Tandberg Polar position today
heading south towards Ballott strait.

To sit and watch ice melt can be quite a challenge for a bunch of eager, restless Norwegians, but as days pass by we end up filling our time with this and that needing our attention. Tug Tandberg Polar always has something to offer of work.

In between there is always time for exploration in the near surroundings, in between listening to Terjes endless tales from a long life helping and fixing fishermens boats in Lofoten. He has a relevant story to tell in any situation. Just a pity that my heart rests in the sailing tradition of the north rather than in the boat engine history. But its always fun listening to Terje stories.

Stig and I went to find a lake and we did find lakes plenty. The nature here is endless. It opens up and exposes its big void. Once in it you feel it all the way through your body. And the memory stays there. And you feel this urge, this wish to return. And we caught fish. Nice size and great taste.

HEADING ON NORTH

Tomorrow we will top up our tanks and slowly head on further north along the west coast of Greenland and then sail across Baffin Bay towards Lancaster Sound which represents the beginning of the famous Northwest Passage.
Here we will soon meet the ice, more or less dense, hopefully opening up gradually so we can work our way towards Cambridge Bay. The effective sailing time at 5 knots, which is our normal speed, is aprox 10 days from here.

This summer seem to develop into somewhat late relative to the melting speed in this area, when comparing with the last 5 years. When looking into a 10 years average it is still early.
The summer melting of the Arctic ice cap has increased steadily over the last 20 years and this increase seem to have and accelerating effect as the dark surface of open water absorb much more heat so the melting effect at some point really will take off. And then what?

A MELTING ARCTIC CAP AND THE CONSEQUENCES

Its a general understanding that humans character is not willing to really act for a major change before we feel a true need. That we really feel threatened directly if not acting.
It seems now that we will experience the polar cap to melt completely within the next few decades, and as a consequence of that the flow of the Golf Current will be influenced by this to a large degree. This will cause a drastic change to life and climate in Norway and make severe influences in many fields.
Where is the debate among scientists and politician arond this issue today?
The global heating is mainly caused by us humans. This is no longer questioned.
Norwegian Government is presently opening up for more oil extraction in the high north, to a large degree made possible as a consequence of the increased ice melting effect and thereby easier access to the extreme north. The same goes for Russia and Canada, all bordering to the High North.
Shall we receive this increased melting as an invitation to further oil and gas exploration or shall we take it for what it really is. A call of Nature.
This talk about clean, less polluting oil is contradictionary. Burning oil accelerates global heating. The oil pumped up from Norwegian soil will always be on top of what will be produced elsewhere.

If any country in the world, ever in history, can have the financial ability and political opportunity to say, enough is enough, it should be Norway of 2014.

The oil has given us material wealth, but there is more to life than that.
Quality of life cannot be measured by the balance of a national bank account.
Norway has a historic chance to act and show moderation. Its our unique privilege to have this opportunity. It is the poor world who will suffer the most from global warming. It is our challenge to show a sign of moderation in this world of ever growing individual greed.

Future generations will need food to eat. Fish caught in the wild, like cod, is super healthy food. Norway has possibly the most valuable fish stock of the world outside our coast. Still there. Our cod is dependent on a steady pace of the Golf Stream.
Lets do our best to keep the Golf Current alive and flowing. Let this become a major issue.

Outside the Lofoten Islands you can watch the Moskenes current, the world famous Maelstrom. When standing on the shore at Hell you can feel the vibrations in the ground from the current and outside you can watch the sea passing by, and in one glance you can see, as the only place in world the phenomena of ONE SVERDRUP, which is the movement of 1 million kubic metre of water every second.
Harald Ulrik Sverdrup was the scientist on board Maud for 7 long years.

Harald knew and spoke clear and openly about the vulnarbility of the mecanisms of the nature, and the polar areas in particular, and he was a speacialist on the subject of heat radiation from the polar icecap. He spoke about this 100 years ago. Maybe its time to wake up and finally act to protect the future of the Ice cap around the North Pole.

The North Polar Ice Cap is an obvious candidate to the world heritage list, and the Golf Current as well.

MAUD RETURNS HOME AND THE FUTURE

We do believe that bringing back the polar ship Maud, and to make the history she carry within more available to the general public, can help increase the focus on the high north in an environmental perspective. Not least the scientific side of the Maud Expedition and their major effort on developing a greater understanding of the major mecanisms ensuring the balance of the polar ice cap, and its obvious vulnerability to human impacts with regards both to the people living in these areas as well as the natural environment itself.

The latest ice-report just ticked in here this morning of 31st of July, and the ice is still quite dense in certain areas so our patience is still very much welcomed.

jan

PS. I should underline that the notes made here relative to Norwegian oil politics are my personal opinions expressed in this blog.

After some hard work on a Saturday morning, rice porridge and a good nap, roman style.
jw

Green green grass of Greenland
bm

New part made for the cooling system of the big engine.
jw

A Norwegian – Greenlandish team effort to keep MRH going.
jw

Polar heroes, Lofoten style, boknafesk.
jw

Tandberg Polar transformation
jw

Small knife not – big fish yes
jw

Becoming part of the landscape
jw

Some like it fast. Nansen/Wisting connection
jw

Dinner at the Sømandshjem. A rare moment of uniformation.
jw

Professor Harald Ulrik Sverdrup in the laboratory onboard Maud.
His ocean studies and working standards became landmarks in world science at his time.
norw. national library

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=19332014-07-21T21:47:33Z2014-07-20T14:14:26Z
The ice is still pretty dense inside the final 4 days of sailing distance before Cambridge Bay, and the ice melting this year looks pretty average. That means much less than average 10 years ago, as the total volume of the arctic ice cap is diminishing gradually, as we all know.

Days here in Aasiaat are spent fixing this and that onboard as well as preparing stuff for the coming lifting operation of Maud. There is always something to do when dealing with a 50 years old Tug and our technical guys have full hands.

Still there is time for a walk around the little town, housing aprox 3000 people, which makes it the third largest in Greenland. Outside in the fjord area the most noticable difference from home are the icebergs drifting by. Majestic and overwhelming. The local greenlenders are in great majority in this town and as Stig and I strolled around last night we experience the village as a pure natural mess. All around you see remains from both winter and summer activities scattered around where people have left them. No one really cares that much, they just simply live, and laugh and seem pretty happy. They care for their children in a particular way, and carry the sadness of a lost culture, in silence – just like the nature around them.

Our final destination is getting closer but still it feels a bit unreal to imagine we will lay longside old Maud within a few weeks to come. Its been a long process and also a long sail from Norway, and it all feels a bit abstract as we have spent all this time in the same physical surrounding, sleeping in the same beds, during this time of travel since we left the bay of Vettre.
aprox.2400 Nautical Miles ago (4500km). In one way time has stood still, in another way time has not existed at all.

I watch our Tug outside the window right now, from where I sit in the sailors home,
sailing around a little island in the harbour where we will tie up for some days to come.
Lets keep in touch.

jan

Stig and Eirik prepare ropes for arrival Aasiaat.
jw

TP and Jensen rest in Aasiaat harbour after some days of quiet sailing up the coast of Greenland.
jw

Patina in the making
jw

Gradually becoming a love affair.
jw

Greenland style
jw

Colored blue
jw

True North 1
jw

True North 2
jw

Friday night hangout
jw

New kid in town
jw

Color joy in Aasiaat
jw

Silent remains of a lost culture
jw

Sunset Serenade
jw

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=18792014-07-13T16:45:26Z2014-07-13T16:42:15ZTHE ATLANTIC CROSSING
The Maud Returns Home Expedition 2014 has now arrived Nuuk on the west coast of Greenland 17 days after we departed Farsund on the south coast of Norway on the 25th of June.
We are all well but pretty tired after fighting some unexpected heavy weather in the mid atlantic. We pushed through it at slow speed during a short week, and now we can feel pretty happy to have experienced that both Tandberg Polar and the barge Jensen stood the test in rough seas.
And so did we.
We had some minor tehnical damages but considering the fact that we had winds in the upper scale of storm and waves up to 10 meters we must be quite content and pleased to be well and fit here in Nuuk and also super ready for the continuation of this journey.

After rounding Cape Farewell on a sunny morning we said goodbye to a continious rolling experience of more than two weeks and soon were introduced to a new challenge, namely the ICE. Chunks of ice from small lumps, up to major icebergs of more than 100 meters of hight ment our attention had to be on full alert passing through a mix between thick fog patches and brilliant blue skies as we sailed near the coast up to Nuuk, where we ancored yesterday morning, on the 12th of July 2014.
This arrival on Greenland represents another milestone for our MRH project and I do feel a certain joy and also a deep appreciation towards the crew of Tandberg Polar. We have had several challenges to deal with during our crossing due to the winds and weather conditions, and the crew on board TP showed great seamanship. Thank you guys.

Now we can look ahead and we will hopefully be ready to advance up the coast early next week.
Next stop will be Upernavik. This will be our last stop before we cross over Baffin Bay into the
famous Northwest Passage, which will be our last major challenge before fianly arriving Cambridge Bay in Nunavut, Canada.

The ice situation this year seems to be quite average, which means we can cross our fingers for an opportunity to enter the passage and get through to Cambridge Bay towards the end of this month.

Out of Farsund, with a mixed feeling of excitement and curiousity.

And soon the quiet of the ocean finally embrased us.

As the Northern Gannet (Havsula) kept a good view on us, from above.

Jensen is beginning to feel the elements.

As Havsula keeps watching us.

As Jensen hits the big seas and deals with it all.

As we all watch in silence.

First dinner served on deck by chef jan, west of cape Farewell

Out of the blue – Into the white.

True colors – Kitch Greenland style

photo JW (C)
]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=18672014-07-02T14:23:55Z2014-07-02T14:05:34Z
For now, the possibilitis for communicating with Tandberg Polar is limited, but we get some updates and small signs everyday. Which is probably more than Amundsen and his crew ever could dream of on their expedition with Maud.

For those of you who wish to follow Tandberg Polar and the crew on their journey, you will find daily updates on their position by following this link.

Jensen on its way out from Farsund. ]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=18542014-06-26T09:09:41Z2014-06-24T23:09:48Z
I watch out out on the starboard side and I see Færder lighthouse. A familiar sight that I have rounded
many a times with my windsurfer in the old days.
We can´t really grasp yet that we are on our way for this great mission. Everyone are feeling a bit strange after all this stress and strange farwell waving goodby to our loved ones just like in the old days. There is something particular about leaving with a ship. It can´t compare with anything else. We all felt it yesterday.The great transition. And now we are out here in this new silence.
Well silent might not be the excact description as the sound of our heavy engine is here at all times, like the sound of something deep and motherly.
We will make a short stop over at the southern most point of Norway, namely Farsund for a little technical test, to fullfill one of numerous demands from the The Norwegian Veritas that we have dealt with the last weeks before departure.
I could say a lot about the red tape and regulations of the Norwegian Sailing Regulation Authorities, but I better not. We are through now, well at least 99% so it is for sure better to look ahead rather than back.
The sun is shining we have the a nice breeze from behind, and we are on our way.
Dear Roald hope you can wish us well from up there. We do as best we can and think we are a good little group of people that you would have liked to meet. Some day, maybe.
Finally a little thanks to the Tandberg brothers, Gubben, Espen and Franz for their unlimited support and enthusiasm from the very start till the end of the beginning.
Lets keep in touch.

hang on Jensen – we are heading west
]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=18422014-05-31T08:45:37Z2014-05-31T08:45:37Z
A busy schedule preparing our departure has made our web-page suffer these days, but it only means we are hands full preparing and loading our tug and barge with all one can think of can be needed to fulfil our ambitious plan to bring the old treasure of Roald Amundsen back home to Vollen.

Our departure date is set for 15.june but we are giving ourselves the freedom to adjust this considering the weather prospects and also how the ice situation is progressing over there in the Canadian Arctic.
The Northwest Passage is today still full of ice, which is quite normal for this time, while the open sea gradually eats its way up through the Davis Strait and Baffin Bay west of Greenland.
We are setting goals as they appear, and our first challenge is now to depart and feel comfortable and ready to cross over to Greenland. When rounding Cape Farewell we will head up the west coast as far as we find suitable. There we will assess the situation and prepare to enter into the Northwest Passage as it open up normally during the last half of July.
Our journey over to the west will give us valuable time to look through all the equipment we will use during our rising operation, and also further discuss all details around the rescue operation as a whole. Apart from that the trip will be a great opportunity to breath. Its been a long process of preparations and we all do look forward to a change in scenery.
As Bjørn says: “All this just for a little trip on the ocean” It is for sure a shorter preparation needed to go out fishing with my Nordlandsboat in Lofoten. This is really something different though.
It is a quite a different catch from a cod for dinner. But the philosophy around it all is very much the same, at least for me.
We will do our best to treat the whole issue with care and respect, to the best of our capabilities.

I VESTERLED
Now we all look forward to see the horizon appear in front of us. Look up and ahead and towards the west. Just like sailors have done ever since the first ships sailed from Norway, more than 1000 years ago.
Living and dead – will sing along.

jan w

As ready to go as one can be. Jensen left, Tandberg Polar on the right.
]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=18052014-02-26T17:03:59Z2014-02-26T17:03:59Z
Amundsen never arrived at the planned destination – or maybe he did.
Noone really knows what happened that day. Amundsen was 56 years old.

When my dear friend Jürg at Porsche Design in Austria introduced me to hanggliding in the late eighties I soon understood that if I had been introduced to this 10 years earlier in my life I probably wouldn´t have survived those years. My principle for pushing boundaries by deliberately passing the point of no return in the process of learning, is not applicable to flying. I used this on the water and it worked well. In flying it all works different. One has to develop skills slowly and carefully.

Amundsen was a man who knew how to survive in the arctic by learning slowly, being present over time. His involvement and experimentation with flying in the arctic region, taking off with the tiny beautiful plane Curtiss Oriole underlines his endless energy to push boundaries. His belief in making the impossible possible. Through his life he met many who wanted to pull him down but he always raised again. Respect.
His departure into infinity on a quiet summer day from Tromsø was his final victory.

We wish to honor Amundsen for being the man he was. We wish to make a future House of Maud a place to memorize Amundsen, his energy and his ability to make people be at their best. His postive energy was and still is a true inspiration. Also for me.

Maud Returns Home project group, with the Tandberg Company in front, has taken the initative to
reconstuct an original Curtiss Oriole plane and introduce this in a future House of Maud.
This is in our opinion the best way we can sympolize and honor Amundsens endless will to move forward with the help of new technology and super qualified people.

This winter we have signed an agreement with Century Aviation in Washington State, USA, to have an original rebuild made of the Curtiss Oriole “Kristine”. The plane that did the first flying in history from the arctic ice cap. “Kristine” was brought into the ice on board Maud in 1922, and Odd Dahl, later one of our nations greatest scientists, piloted the plane with Maud skipper Wisting as a crew. The plane only had a few flights around Maud before she had a crash damage beyond repair.
In the new released film from the Maud expedition one can follow these incredible flying attempts in the surroundings of Maud, and the energy and enthusiam expressed in these film cuts underlines how Amundsen could inspire and encourage his men to bring out the best in everyone.

jan w

American dream: as I crossed over to the hangar to have the first glanze the Curtiss Oriole i got the notion of thinking, Amundsen – wish you were here..

Oh Lord – if I had the wings of an angel – I´ll fly away

The Curtiss Oriole “Kristine” in all her glory alongside Maud well into the arctic desert.

We trust Karen and Mark from Century Aviation to perform an exellent job restoring our Kristine to a prestine condition, to become an essential corner stone in a future House of Maud.

Two old Curtiss bodies will become one “Kristine” after more than a thousand work hours.

Century Aviation has restored and built many replicas of historic planes for state and private museums all over the wold. They are real professionals.

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=17722014-02-25T07:21:42Z2014-02-25T07:07:55Z
This winter has been very busy and last week we had some major work finalized on Jensen, our submerisble barge, and it really begins to look like something we´ve never seen before.
We feel eager like children to get going and that is how it should be.

Its been a long process to find the right people for this expedition. I have met plenty of people that would have loved to join in, but when it comes down to reality there are not many people who fit in for such a challenge. It is not enough just to have a strong will and motivation, despite this being an important factor. We need a qualified crew for taking our tug Tandberg Polar (TP) and our lifting construction Jensen, named after the boatbuilder who built Maud. Also our crew need to have a good understanding of the operation as a whole and carry some of that basic philosophy that is behind this project in a broad perspective.
I can say that in this moment in time I do feel extremely happy with the crew and also those people that will be involved as we move ahead and finally arrive in Cambridge Bay this summer.

In the last year of preparation this whole project has changed character, as our understanding of the true value and challenge in all this, stretches far beyond the physical challenge of bringing the remains of Roald Amundsens polarship Maud finally back to her homeland.
The bringing of Maud back to Norway after 100 years is saturated with symbolic value.
Its a story to tell of great complexity and it touches many issues that are just as important today as it was 100 years ago. Amundsen and his men were real pioneers and did revolutionary work in many fields and the story we wish to present in a future House of Maud will focus on all these areas both individually and as a whole.

Winter conditions around TP and Jensen in Asker. We do assume there is more to come.

Our polish friends with master Maciej have done exellent additional steel work this winter, making Jensen more prepared for its purpose of lifting Maud from the seabed as well as being the carrier of Maud during her long journey back home to Vollen.

High working moral among our polish friends is highly appreciated. And they use their spare time catching a cod or two, which I think is an excelleent way of getting a dinner.

Stig is a good man and has gradually become a deserved member of the project group with his great varity of practical skills as well as being super enthusiastic about the whole project and not least the history we really are digging into with this activity of ours.

Erik and Bjørn are doing great work these days preparing our tug, Tandberg Polar (TP)
for our adventure. As Bjørn says; ting og tang dagen lang. (this and that – all day long).
This whole adventure can hardly be described more simple and elegant.

jan w – feb14
]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=17392013-11-04T16:46:43Z2013-11-04T16:42:10Z
During the 7 years of the Maud Expedition, the polar ship was to be a floating research station and laboratory, thanks to one man who later became one of the leading oceanographers of the 20th century. His name was Harald Ulrik Sverdrup.

When sailing from Vollen, Norway early in the morning at mid summer 1918, the Maud Expedition was in the public eye considered to be a brave attempt, set into reality by Roald Amundsen, to aim for the North pole, by letting themselves be deliberately frozen into the arctic ice cap and hopefully drift across the North pole over a period of 3 to 4 years.

For Harald Ulrik Sverdrup this was a perfect opportunity to perform groundbreaking research in nature science, collecting scientific data of all possible kind in the high polar region, to an extend that never had been performed before.

Sverdrup and the whole crew on board Maud took on this challenge with great entusiasm and executed an endless amount of data collection on an every day basis from morning to evening, during the whole 7 years of the Maud Expedition.

The Maud crew performed measurements on Terrestrial Magnetism, atmospheric electricity, weather conditions of all kind, including the use of ballons and kites, to measure temperatures and wind speed and direction high up from the ground.
A weather ballon could be spotted even at a hight of 20km in the polar night with the help of a little burning candle in a box hanging under the ballon.
Studies of the Northern Lights was also included in their resarch program.

A BREIF VISIT TO WASHINGTON AND CARNEGIE INSTITUTE
During my last visit to Canada and the US I took the opportunity to visit the Carnegie Institute, Department of Terrestrial Magnetism.

Harald Sverdrup was closely connected to Carnegie both before and after the Maud Expedition and a great part of the research material and results was coordinated through them.
The material and its incredible volume and level of thoroughness and professionalism in every detail of execution makes a great impact.

THE BEAUTY OF CURIOUSITY
I get so intrigued by the energy, will power, dicipline and to the finger tip detailed perfection in the execution and performance of their work and unbelievable
power of will to perform their duties with inspiration and excellence.
I am humble in admiration. Its a joy to see and experience.
It will be our challenge to bring all this more available to the public than it has been over the last nearly 100years. It is not only an important part of our cultural history but more than anything just facinating to dig into.

The Maud Expedition was not a failure – it was a success. A praise to nature and all her hidden wonders.
There is no doubt that our (Maud Returns Home) focus on the scientific side of the Maud Expedition will get more attention as the MRH project will evolve.

It is not only an old polar ship that is returning home. There is a whole story within it.
A story of tribute to nature and a story of a few mens love and curiousity to nature. An endless will to explore and seek to understand her hidden secrets and the mystery and beauty of it all.

jan

Magnetic field – feeling both grounded and extraterrestrial

Carnegie Institution of Washington:
The boxes with the Maud files are hidden treasures, most of it yet to be reveiled.

Letters from Maud travelling across the world from Amundsen and Sverdrup to the director of the Carnegie Institute, updating on the progress on collecting scientific data on magnetism, northern lights and more.

Great thanks to librarian Shaun Hardy at Carnegie Institution for being supportive and extremely helpful.

Sverdrups hand for numbers – and the beauty of details.

A wonderful illustration made by genious Odd Dahl showing in one view all the scientific data being collected from the Maud Expedition.
]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=17122013-10-12T20:10:48Z2013-10-12T20:10:48Z
Bjørn and I arrived in Cambridge Bay the last days before the ice closes in the Northwest passage and Maud again is taken by the grip of the ice. Let us hope this will be the last winter in the ice for her. The time is due.
I could not stop myself from going in the water and I had brought a thin drysuit, to hopefullY survive some few minutes in the minus 1 celcius, for a short closeup with the old lady.
We paid our big supporter, Navalik, a visit and she takes well care of some of our stuff stored in her container. Thanks again to her.
On our way from down town CB to where Maud rests half submerged we bumped into quite a bunch of animal friends, this time.
A barge delivering goods to CB was in the harbour this time and we had a nice talk to the captain and his crew over a coffie on the mess deck. They wished us all the best of luck with our endeavour next summer.
It was a short visit to Cambridge Bay this time. Lets call it a courtesy visit, saying we are more entusiastic and excited than ever before about bringing the old ship home. She is the carrier and the mother of a million stories.
After Cambridge Bay Bjørn travels home and I will continue for another couple of weeks to dive into some of the ever facinating stories of the people and theirs achievements that surrounds the history of Maud, during and after her 7 long years expedition period in the high arctic, attempting to drift across the North Pole.

My first visit will be to Washington and the noble Carnegie Institution, Dept. of Terrestrial Magnetism. They supported Harald Ulrik Sverdrup with state of the art
scientific instruments, at the time, to bring with him on the Maud Expedition.
This is said in a few words, an incredible story.
New update will arrive on this shortly.

jan

Curious and excitied to see her again.

October 2013, The water was clear and Maud received me well, in silence.

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=16662013-10-12T16:37:29Z2013-10-11T18:48:33Z
LIFE IN THE HIGH NORTH
The summer season of the high arctic is closing in these days and new ice is building slowly and glues together the open gaps between endless small and large chunks of ice that has drifted around the arctic with the wind and currents following well known channels and straits around the artic cap.
Lancaster Sound, Franklin Strait and Maud Gulf are famous areas full of historic drama and tragic stories about men and ships lost in the ice and cold.
The big legend of this area of the Northwest Passage is of course Roald Amundsen who first sailed successfully through with little Gjøa of 70Foot during the years from 1903 to 1906.

Everyone who lives up in this area today are familiar with Amundsen and they admire and respect him because he also respected the inuit way of life, and gave them credit for teaching him a profound understanding and visdom that led to his success as an arctic explorer. He also expressed a fear for their future due to their vulnerability towards the new and so called modern world. He saw the beauty of the Inuit life and their incredible ability to survive, refined over thousand of years in close connection with the core of nature.
I agree with him and I am sorry to say that his prediction was right and his fear was entitled.

Arriving Iqaluit at the south end of Baffin Island, capital of Nunavut region.

The Inuit population in Iqaluit is in great majority and has adapted (freely or not) to the modern lifestyle, which of course has happened at the expense of their own culture and tradition.

Low tide: Oh Lord, my boat is so small, my engine so big etc.

Shaping the future – with or without the ice.

VISITING THE CANADIAN COAST GUARD
We have spent the last week up in Iqaluit now and it has been extremely nice and useful to hang a bit around in the capital of Nunavut. Our main issue was, among meeting people with practical knowledge and experience on the ice issue, to meet up in person at the Central Office of the Canadian Coastguard, Nunavut region, and give them a general understanding of our plans for next summer.
There we met Jean-Pierre Lehnert, who heads up the Marine Communications and Traffic Services office in Iqaluit. He gave us an exellent introductional understanding of the ice situation in the Northwest Passage during the summer season and adviced us on what the typical pit falls can be for a ship entering this area.
This summer has been quite difficult from an ice perspective with high drift ice density in the channels that we need to enter next year to get in to Cambridge Bay from the east. So this is a after all bit of a lottery with key factors like weather and wind directions during the summer season.
We have from the beginning put priority on avoiding putting ouself in a stress situation, not to let us feel having short of time, in any way, neither in the preparations nor in the execution of our expedition.
Everyone we have spoken with emphacises that this is highly important. This is also the main reason why we decided to delay our departure from Norway until next summer (2014).
The Canadian Coastguard are equipped with several ice-breakers that are postioned around in this vast coastal area, north of the american continent . They are there to support anyone who crosses through the Northwest passage and they also are taking part in research activity in this area of the arctic that is becoming more and more important now that the arctic ice-cap sadly has diminishing steadily over the last decades.
And as UN recently have concluded with 95percent certainty is at least partly caused by human unfluence.

Head of the Coast Guard in Iqaluit and Nunavut, Jean-Pierre Lehnert kindly adviced us on how to tacle the challenges when approaching the high arctic north and the Northwest Passage.

Jean-Pierre liked the Maud paper. We all love a good story.

A MELTING ARCTIC ICE CAP
We have been thinking quite a bit about the fact that the ice situation due to global warming is giving us a possible better access to bring Maud out of the ice grip. Maybe she wants us to bring her home to tell us something. The men onboard Maud were dedicated to do research in the arctic. At that time said to be the best equipped scientific expedition ever organized.
They spent almost seven year in the high arctic and three of the crew gave their lives during the Maud expedition. Sverdrup and his men were immensely dedicated to their mission and collected invaluble materials and knowledge, that helped us understand more of the major mechanisms of nature on a global scale.
These systems are those we have to observe, understand and respect, and act according to when shaping our future life on this planet. This is the major challenge of our time.

Morning in Iqaluit. Nature is our breath of life.

CBC SUPPORT AND MORE
The day after our arrival in Iqaluit we were asked to come for a Television and radio inteview with CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). They have followed us cloesely ever since we announced our intentions and early plans to salvage Maud and hopefully bring her back to Vollen and Norway, back in 2011. This is much appreciated from our side and I do feel that the general public in Canada knows more about our plans for Maud then the Norwegian public do. Let us see how this will develop in the coming year. Our aim has a long time perspective so we are just extremely happy to be in the process. Maud is a patient old lady and so are we. At least we like to think that we are.
As the internet connections can be pretty slow in Iqaluit in general we were happy to be offered a possiblity of setting up a little MRH office at CBC and drink from their cyber-well. while we were in town. A big thank to Patricia Bell for all her support and entusiasm. Super man Chief technician Brian Willoughby at CBC showed to be quite a creative and interesting man, and he inspired us in many ways.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) follow our project with great interest.

Brian at CBC has a big heart and we had wonderful conversation.

FINDING THE ROUTE
During the days in Iqaluit and in solitude in many ways, Bjørn and I grasped the opportunity to draw up the sailing route for the return trip from Cambridge Bay to Vollen. On CBC´s grand flat screen TV we gave Tandberg Polar (our tug) and Jensen (our barge) a modest speed of 5 knots over the blue waters on google earth.
Its a bit of a paradox that we havent done this test in any detail before, only doing rough estimates, but when being away from Norway and all the daily focus on practical preparation, it is not always easy to make room for such studies.

Also we got a better understanding of the route while in Iqaluit as both the Coast Guard and our new friend Pier Sauvadet, an extremely experienced world sailor who, in the later year, has been drawn close to arctic adventures. I will tell more about Pierre and his latest boat project later. We might well end up of seeing him again.
Pierre gave us valuable advice and support on how to approach the Northwest Passage from the east, and a general advice seem to be that the Greenland Coast is favorable when entering the Davis strait and Baffin Bay from the east, towards west.

A scetch for the route home, which is only an estimate for effective sailing.

Bjørn is already deep into the ice.

Departing Iqaluit as the sun sets over an endless landscape.

HEADING ON
We are now flying across to the west and Cambridge Bay to have a quick look at Maud, and tell her that we are doing our best to be well prepared for next years adventure.

Next news report will arrive in a few days.

jan
]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=16572013-09-25T13:36:09Z2013-09-25T13:32:22Z
Since we made the decition this summer (a wise one – it seems) to give us another year for preparations before we lift anchor from Norway and head for the west, we have given us the freedom to lift our eyes a bit, to look both into the history, but also to look a bit deeper into the challenges we will have to deal with during our Maud rescue operation.
I have now just departed Norway for a little roundtrip both to the Canadian North as well as the south.
Bjørn has joined me for the first part and this morning we will depart from Montreal to Iqaluit up on the south coast of Baffin Island facing Greenland to the east.
During our trip to Iqaluit we wish to visit the Head Office for the Canadian Coastguard that are based in Iqaluit, and hopefully get som hot tips and maybe some entusiasm for our project plans. That can for sure be a good thing.
When we arrive the Davis strait next summer we wish of course to be able to enter into Cambridge Bay as early as possible to make maximum benefit of the short arctic summer with (semi) open waters.
This will give us the best possible start on our ambition to raise Maud and possibly head out and towards the east and find a winter harbour before we cross the atlantic with Maud the summer of 2015.
Baffin Island area might be a suitable area for a winter harbour and that is also partly what we wish to investigate during our short stop up in Iqaluit.
Let us see how it goes. Follow us in the coming weeks on more things to come.
jan w

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=16282013-07-30T11:17:51Z2013-07-30T11:16:08Z
In the spring of 2012 we achieved an export permit for Maud from the Canadian Government and that made us able to put full energy on planning and executing a rescue operation to bring Maud finally back to Norway and Vollen where she was built, and finally erect a House of Maud to commemorate this ground(ice)braking expedition that had the ambition to reach the North Pole by deliberately being fixed in the polar ice and drift for several years across the arctic icecap. (Fritjof Nansen did the same attempt with polar ship Fram in 1893, reaching 80 degrees north.)

Last winter our Project Group decided to buy a Tug boat for the rescue operation, rather than renting one, and this was a very crucial decision as we in this way can achieve better control over the execution and also in choosing the crew on a more independent basis.
To prepare the Tug itself for the operation has become a challenging task.

Over the last few months we have worked intensivly to prepare departure from Norway this summer and at this moment in time we are practically ready to go, but we also feel being pushed on time to be ready for departure this summer. There are many things to prepare and also to crew an expedition like this is a major challenge in many respects.
As we wish to keep small and powerful as a group each individual crew member need to cover several skills – in addition to preferably being a sailor.

Based on the feeling of not being 100% ready to go we have decided to postpone our departure for Canada till next summer 2014.
This means in practice that we will delay the Maud rescue operation with one year.
For us this is a positive decision in every respect despite us being eager to get going. We wish to feel good and 100% comfortable in every way before we depart from Norway to bring back the old ship. That is to follow the principles and philosophy of Roald Amundsen himself.

This rescue operation is not only a demanding physical action but maybe more than anything a symbolic voyage. We wish to be ready for this challenge in every way.
Not only technically. It took us some time to gain confidence from both the local people of Nunavut and Cambridge Bay that we had a serious intention relative to future of Maud, and this process had to have an element of time within. This process is also about communication. The Maud expedition was a historic event on world scale and has not ever gained its deserved attention. One can speculate why and there are many possible answers to that. Our ambition is not only to physically bring back Maud, it is also to erect a memorial a symbolic monument, helped by this physical rescue operation, to revitalize this important historic voyage that took place nearly 100 years ago.
So until next summer, when we sail from Norway, we will but extra priority and new energy into communication.

I have personally gradually fallen in love with Maud and all those endless amount of small events of glory but also great tragedy that are woven into the story of all those years Maud and her men spent drifting around in the endless arctic desert.
So I encourage everyone that have learned to know about our plans, to take part in kissing Maud awake after her 100 years of silent sleep.

Yesterday a charming lady of 92 came at my doorstep and said hallo. Her name is Anna Margrethe Hamre, accompanied by her long time friends, Gerda and Hermann Døhlen. Anna (Bitte) as is daughter of Harald Ulrik Sverdrup who spent 7 long years of his life on board polarship Maud.
To meet direct ascendants of the original Maud crew brings me closer to the history than anything else, besides being close up with Maud herself.
Sverdrup was responsible for the scientific work executed on-board the ship over the years. An immense collection of data gathered through hard work, patience and strong will and understanding of its future importance.
An incredible achievement not much known to the world, 100 years after.
Sverdrup later wrote THE OCEAN, world recognised and considered to be the bible of the world ocean currents, later used as a major tool to decide the exact time and date for the D-day, the invasion of Normandy in 1944.
The weave of life keeps moving and creates history, as we are all part of it all.

The old polar ship Maud has become more of a symbol than anything else for all of us involved in this project in one or another way. She is the center point for a number of stories still to be found, still to be told, still with great interest and importance for people of today.
Maud is still a sleeping queen yet to reveal untold stories of victory and tragedy, beauty and love of life.

Follow us in our further process of preparation for the Maud Rescue Operation on this web page and also on Facebook Maud Returns Home.

jan wanggaard
Norway
july 2013

Maud in Vollen, Norway 1917
]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=15702013-05-28T14:29:51Z2013-05-28T14:29:51ZTandberg Polar
In january this year we concluded, after a long process of consideration, that it was neccessary to purchase our own expedition ship being a sturdy tugboat. Initialy we imagined to only rent a ship but as the process progressed we realized that our project needed to have time and room to develop its own expedition ship in every detail for this very specific journey and challenge in all.
This was an important decision to secure a successful end outcome for our ambitious MRH journey that was initiated a few years back.
We found a good solid tug down in Farsund, at the south tip of Norway, and after some trips down there with some competent boat and engine people we agreed and brought
Tandberg Polar (ex Khan) up to Asker and our Project base at Munkesletta.
It was my suggestion to name our new tug “Tandberg Polar” to honor the Tandberg family who took the initative to build and realize this ambitious dream to finally save and bring old Maud back to Norway and Vollen.

The submersible salvage operation unit called Jensen
Our massive submersible unit or barge or whatever it can be called, has in the last months undertaken a major face lift. 10 major steelbeams have been introduced to give the support needed to carry Maud on his shoulders. In addition we have made a walkway on each side to give us better working conditions when Maud has landed on deck.
In addition the controlled sinking and rising of this unit is now being achived by introducing a pump system that can fill and empty water into the 6 independent enclosed tank volumes.

Another major element of the operation are the air filled pontons to be used for the initial lifting operation and also for additinal buoyancy and stability for the lifting and transport unit, called Jensen. The pontons are extremely sturdy ballons each with 15 kbm volume, equivalent to 15 tons of lifting force in water.

Our tug Tandberg Polar sails through Drøbak at dorn 9th of April 2013, with the best of intentions.
Bjørn confirms no torpedoes in sight.

Engine man and magician Terje in his right element.

Serious quality testing of an inflated ponton performed by chief inspector Bjørn.

A major steel puzzle arriving Asker for being assembled on to Jensen.

A 50 ton crane lifting the steel components into position for assembly.

Steel components are put together and made ready for being lifted onto Jensen.

Each assembled steel element is carefully lifted into its exact position.

First cross element in position on Jensen, the barge.

Tug Tandberg Polar and Jensen heading back to base for more preparations.

The Maud support is identifying itself.

No flybridge but a catwalk, is neccesary.

Tandberg Polar and Jensen – in pole position

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=15272012-12-13T15:28:58Z2012-12-13T07:34:55Z
Amundsen spent a lot of time, particulary during the Gjøa expedition, in close relation with Inuit people of that region and learned to understand their survival philosophy and built in this way,
by his presence over time, direct participation and profound interest a general and detailed knowledge on how to survive in close interaction with nature as a whole.

There is an inbuilt beauty in all this together with being a key to success, or in other words, survival and abilty to progress, over time.

We wish to bring this message along not just to be good and “environmentally friendly” but rather simply because we do believe in an honest empahsis on being part of nature rather than fight it. It will always be a key to success.
Success in the way of feeling well and in true balance with all what we are – and do.

During our winter visit to Cambridge Bay we met the real arctic athmosphere with ice and snow and low temperatures. We felt strongly the need for being present in all respect. We did not make use of support from heavy technical devices or equipment but based our activities on simple principles, like using a small tent as our base on the ice rather than introducing more heavy installations for our diving and photography and film activites over and under the ice.

On a resting day from diving I took the initative to build an IGLO – in a traditional manner.
The iglo is a traditional way of making a protective living shelter in the high arctic, and
is a brilliant example of a genious, simple priciple on how to use local resources to create what you need to survive.

The principle of building an Iglo can be looked at as being highly scientific, and an engineer of today can study the theory of the building principle with a high degree of admiration for making use of advanced theorethical physical principles to build a construction that is extremely strong
and super functional.
At the same time the Inuits developed and built the iglo based on the principle of trying and failing – evolving gradually, through generations, over time and time again.

So here comes a little picture story showing how much fun one can have in Cambridge Bay on a Sunday in early December 2012, building an Iglo, as always – close to Maud.

Starting off with a block of hard driftsnow. Close to Maud.
photo by jan w

The wall grows in a spiral which is of crucial importance to keep on going as the wall gradually starts to lean inwards. To constantly define the right degree of wall angle, is the key.
photo by jan w

After lunch the darkness arrives as we keep on playing in the glow of the neon light.
photo by lars n

As the roof narrows in, the wall angle tempts to brake the law of gravity.
photo by lars n

Its always a matter of having good helpers. Bjørn is chief cutter.
photo by lars n

The final stage is a bit nervous for a first-timer in Iglo construction.
Runhild is steady supplier of building material being logistic manager and mental supporter.
photo by lars n

The spiral is an ever returning essential shape.
photo by jan w

A moment of great relief as the last piece is in place.
photo by lars n

Sunday morning catch. I chiseled a round hole in the middle of the Iglo and few minutes later Sunday dinner was secured. What a treat. It gave me a childish feeling of pleasure. Nature life.
photo by jan w

Final stage is to introduce a window. Time for more chiseling.
photo by jan w

The great old pioneer doc-film “Nanook of the north” from 1922, gave me a basis for how to make the window glass. Great thanks to Robert J. Flaherty.
photo by jan w

Window ready for insertion.
photo by jan w

Let there be light.
photo by jan w

Moment of completion. Time to pose.
photo by jan w

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=14972012-12-07T22:47:31Z2012-12-06T22:52:26Z
The last days of diving was very fortunate and we managed to collect a good packet og nice pictures as well as a bit of good filming. It is all vey marginal whether to have luck or not. Or as Amundsen liked to say: “there is nothing called luck- just good planning”. I can only agree. At the same time we were lucky to have clear sky and not so much snoowdrift for making good pictures on top of the ice and the diving and photo-equipment realy stood the test.

We are extremely happy to have been able to go here this winter. It really was a totally new experience and the atmosphere both over and under the ice really touched us, and we have collected a lot of material and impressions that we can bring along into the future and present in our House of Maud, to come.

I wish to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the Tandberg brothers who have the courage and vision to make all this come through – step by step.

Runhild hiding behind the old windlass that also followed Fram to the south pole.
photo by jan w

Bow part crushed by the ice with ice iron at original waterline
photo by jan w

History close up: Checking out for Amundsens fingerprint at windlass
photo by jan w

Starboard side of Maud comes up through the winter ice and get exposed to the winter air.
photo by jan w

Landman Bjørn happy to have Runhild returned up and in the tent.
photo by jan w

Me, with a hint of relief after the final dive under the ice – in Mauds world.
photo by jan w

jan w – 7th of Decemnber 2012

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=14772012-11-29T18:41:20Z2012-11-29T18:33:54Z
And here we are. Small warmblooded creatures trying to reach in to her – meet the old lady and take in all her power. Maud herself as an old ship seem to be the caretaker of the whole history of Amundsen and his brave men, fighting their way through to those empty impossible places on this planet.
They were polarheroes, but they were also normal human beings, vulnerable and full of respect for their limitations.

We feel the same here and now. The polar night is firm and colossal. Overwhelming in all respect.
We are humble, but also intensively focused as we slowly submerge ourselves into the
freezing cold artic water. Leaving this world as we know it, inside a little tent on top of the ice. Leaving minus 30 and enter the relatively warm water of minus 1. Yes we can breath down there.
We have technology supporting us, and we are also well prepared mentally. Its a challenge in all respect. Not much room for fear og panic. Keep calm.
A hole in the ice is our entrance to Mauds world and it is also our only exit back.
ICE AND OAK – here we come.

Preparing the divehole with entrance for two divers at the same time.
photo by runhild o

A lavuu tent serves naturally as the base camp on the ice over Maud.
photo by jan w

The divehole inside the tent. The tent serves as a good protection from the wind.
photo by jan w

Ready to go. Its a great challenge to enter the water when air temperature is at minus 30 celcius.
photo by jan w

First feel of the arctic water. The hole is illuminated by the red tent.
photo by jan w

photo by jan w

Not a good place to be claustrofibic.
photo by jan w

Photographing the bow of Maud.
photo by runhild o

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=14632012-11-27T14:57:57Z2012-11-27T14:54:03Z
Our super local, advanced Maud basecamp is a red lavuu tent with a hollow floor ideal for entering the wet element. Runhild and myself (jan) will go down while Bjørn (the MRH-team) and Lars (doc-film) will wait patiently for us to return with the latest news from the old lady down under.

We are pretty curious to see how it all looks down there under the ice and hopefully we will gain enough light to collect some nice photage. Pretty exciting to be honest.

A full moon is watching over us as we are preparing to join the old lady Maud for a brief arctic rendevouz.
photo by jan w

Some of the sturdy oak wood on starboard side of Maud is exposed into the winter air.
photo by jan w

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=14432012-11-24T14:16:18Z2012-11-24T05:42:15Z
After two summers of surveying and documenting the old ship it feels really good to be here now when the whole scenery draws us into the feeling of being back in time when the ship was drifting in the icepack for several years up in the arctic icy desert.

Now the ship has rested in for more than 80 years in Cambridge Bay, frozen into the ice the major part of the year. How we see her now really feels relevant and representative and it makes a great impression how she pushes parts of her body up through the ice with a great force.
Its seems incredible that the ship has withstood the forces of the ice during all this years without being ripped totally apart.
We have now spent two days in CB and we are trying to adapt to the change in time as well as temperature.

Our main ambition is to document the ship both over and under the ice-cap and we are already well into the preparations. Main challenges are the cold temperature as well as the dark. When overcoming this we will be well rewarded.

Today we have also prepared an access through the ice to dive down under the and meet the old ship in in her own element. As Amundsen said, ” y o u a r e m a d e f o r t h e i c e “.

walking into the..
photo by jw

..void
photo by jw

Early winter tide changes sets the ice picture around Maud.
photo by jw

Local response to MRH repatriation plans
People in Cambridge Bay, both the public as well as the Municipality are in general very positive to our plans to bring the old polar ship finally back to Norway.
We have strongly believed from the start in commmunicating our plans to everyone and our public presentations to more than 200 people last week really felt like a breakthrough in this respect. We wish to thank everyone in CB who helped us make this evening possible.

Good support from the local people in CB
photo by jw

Further surveying of the Maud
This summer we had a chance to observe the state of Maud after another year in the ice.
There is no doubt that the ice sooner or later will start to brake down the ship also in the lover section that are not directly in contact with the winter ice. This part of the hull still seem to be very much in a good state despite missing the reinforcements normally created by the deck beams of the upper deck.
When lifting the ship from the seabed we need to ensure that the lifting forces will work on the lower section of the hull, which still is good and well supported by the lower deck.
The condition of the wood itself seem to be very good all over the ship, even to those parts that are exposed to the ice as well as to the bitter cold winter air above the sea surface.
Despite being torn and worn the wood structure seem to be close to “good as new”. We have brought on shore some long planks from the seabed that has been torn off the hull.
These seem to have a very much of the original strength and flexibility, despite having spent the last 80 years under water. This is obviously much thanks to the cold climate in CB.
We have also taken som small samples of the wood to have some analysis made relative to how the wood has withstood the long time in the water as well as in some cases also being exposed to severe cold. There is a tidal difference up to aprox one meter in CB.
From our visual observation of the material we can only say that it seem to have taken the toll overwhelmingly well. We look forward to have some further analysis made on this.

Planks from Maud
photo by jw

Salvage operation preparations
This summer in CamBay has also been spent going through the scenario of the next year salvage operations itself, planned for aprox. next August. Since last summer (2011) we have tried to identify all the pit holes in such an operation, and it was now good for us to come back and access our plans, being present on spot. We feel more confident now and the major challenge will always be to have all the logistics well defined when departing next year from Norway with a tug and the barge, now named “Jensen” after the boatbuilder.
We understand there will be a challenge to reach in to Cambridge Bay as early as possible before the new autum and winter sets in. We need to be effective but still not in a hurry, and we have to be open to the possibiity that nature will give us challenges that we never can forsee 100 percent. We need to be prepared as well as we can in every respect within our frames of abilities and possibilities.

View of windlass towards the bow of Maud
photo by jw

The Cairn
When we decided to build a Cairn on the beach just up from where Maud has spent the last 80 years it was not much other than a natural consequence of several factors.
Amundsen and his crew also had the habit of building cairns and it seems a natural thing to do. Stones are trustworthy as a natural material and when being put together in some kind of order they can express a lot more than words can do. It is sponatanious expressed interaction between man and nature. We enjoyed doing it and we do hope it can be appreciated.
The Cairn might also grow to be, by its physical and visual power of presence, a reducing factor to the possible void that might appear as a consequence of bringing Maud out of Cambridge Bay and home to Norway.

cairn done
photo by Lars Nilssen

cairn and maud
photo by jw

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=14132012-08-22T04:20:00Z2012-08-22T04:20:00Z
Stone is a good material so we felt right from the beginning that to build something out of all the nice flat stones in the area was a good thing to do. The cairn building has kept us warm on cold days and we have enjoyed the process, and the local responce has also been good.
Bjørn takes care of the delivery and I put the stones carefully in their places. A perfect distribution of responsibility, in my opinion.
During the original Maud expedition Amundsen and his crew built (probably among others) a cairn at the northern most point in Russia in the memory of Adolf Erik Nordenskiold and his crew who was the first to sail through the Northeast passage on the Vega expedition.
Our cairn building initative was naturally also motivated by this, following up a nice tradition with 100 years intervals.
We do hope the cairn will still be standing when we come back next year. This is the biggest cairn I have ever built using this tecknique. We hope for the best and we are humble.
We do hope the people of Cambridge Bay will receive this initiative well and that it can be a physical evidence of unity and friendship among us all.
jw

Cairn just done.
photo by lars n

The cairn building process was a major team effort.
photo by lars n

The Cairn is placed just up the beach from where Maud has rested for the last 80 years.
photo by jw

Hide and seek – got you.
photo by jw

thanks to Bjørn
jw

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=14022012-08-22T04:40:09Z2012-08-17T15:07:20Z The people of Cambridge Bay are open minded and they always have a smile to share.
The weather has turned colder the last days and we have had snow in the air, reminding us about the reality of life up here in the arctic.
On the pracical side we are in good progress and we are busy building a memorial carn and also clearing the area around Maud, to have more easy access next year for strapping Maud before the lifting operation.
The Norwegian Documentary Film team is busy collecting material and yesterday a team from CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) arrived and they will follow us during our last week here in Cambridge Bay.

A good crowd came to listen and look at old and new Maud pictures and film cuts and enjoyed the Fish soup on local Actic char (røye) offered by the Maud Project Group. Thanks again to Tandberg Eiendom.
photo jw

Local supporters busy serving showder and drinks. Thanks to them and the soup was delicious, and the Banik too.
photo jw

Three young ladies seem to enjoy themselves at the Maud feast.
photo jw

Dreaming about old polar heroes.
photo jw

On the other side of the bay old Maud is quietly resting in silence while a new cairn is slowly growing on its landside.
photo jw

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=13932012-08-14T05:02:43Z2012-08-13T22:16:42Z
We informed her about the project status and gave her some details on where we are in the process of preparing for next year salvage operation and also in the documenting process.
We also brought up that we hope Cambridge Bay and Asker can build some good connections for the future to come, maybe as friendship communities. Lets hope for that.
We also discussed plans for a small Maud-feast in the community hall on first coming wednesday where we hope to show some new film material and pictures of Maud where she lies today, half submerged across the bay from the village.

The Mayor of Cambridge Bay, Jeannie Ehaloak, surrounded by Bjørn and Jan from the Maud Team.
photo hilde s

We are being followed up (very) closely these days by the Doc-filmteam.
photo hilde s

Stone friendly as I am I could not resist lifting up a big flat stone and underneath appeared a whole big happy family of well fed lemmings. Big surprice for us and probably also for them.
photo jw

Love
photo jw

Cambridge Bay from across the .. bay.
photo jw

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=13392012-08-11T19:50:21Z2012-08-11T19:07:55Z
The last couple of days we have spent in and out of the water,trying also to arrange for a public presentation of our project status and also we have planned a meeting next week with the mayor of Cambridge Bay, just to keep everyone updated on our project status.
I must say again that we experience great support and people of CB are very positive in general. It is a pleasure to spend time i Cambridge Bay.

Last view of the landcrew before sinking into the wet element for more submarine explorations of the old ship and its environment.
photo: jan w

The aft part of Maud on port side.
photo: jan w

This film-screenshot illustrates well how the main part of the Maud lower hull is in mint condition. From above the ship looks pretty worn and torn, but when coming down and underneath it all looks very different and confident.
photo: jan w

A closeup picture of a solid Maud nail produced in Vollen nearly 100 years ago.
photo: jan w

The maud skyline, the part exposed to the air all year seem nearly unchanged from pictures taken in the early 1990´s. It is the area from the sea surface aprox 2 meters down, exposed to the tearing from the winter ice, that really gets beaten and eaten slowly up.
photo: jan w

Maud-team key person Bjørn fishing for lunch at the Northwest Passage oceanfront, well covered by the doc-film team. Bjørn claims (with a wide smile) that he has lost 7kg allready since arrival CB.
photo: jan w

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=13182012-08-11T19:23:41Z2012-08-09T06:13:56Z
During the last week Bjørn and I had found good routines for the days but after the doc-film team with Hilde and Lars arrived we had to start all over again. Then it is good to have a cairn to build. The stones gradually take over the attention and soon the mind is there, present, and nowhere else. So a cairn to me is more than just a pile of stones.
We will probably spend a couple of weeks, on and off, erecting the cairn and maybe we will ask for some help from the locals to pick some nice flat stones.
Beside that we had one dive today and I did some experimentation with Maud macro photography. I wish to get closer to it all. As close as I can get. New things appear when you go closer.
jan w

When wanting to build a cairn, you need to pick the stones. Bjørn is a good man for stone picking, and many other things too.
photo: jan w

Preparing for building a Maud memorial cairn
photo: bjørn m

Tiny jellyfish paints its own pattern close to Maud
photo: jan w

A fisheye watching over the old ship.
photo: jan w

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=13052012-08-08T17:13:41Z2012-08-08T16:58:24Z
When in town most people we meet are very positive and in general there is a good atmosphere
in Cambridge Bay.

Kayaq Kid with one foot in past and the other in future. Where are you heading?

Streets are dusty in downtown Cambridge Bay during an ultra short summer season.

An ATV seem to be a favourite mean of transport for people at all ages in CB.

The snowmobile is stranded for a short period when the snow and ice is gone.

The nature is always next door in Cambridge Bay.

all photoes: jan w
]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=12822012-08-07T04:23:12Z2012-08-07T02:12:57Z
After spending a good day at the beach we normally go for some charfishing to have fresh food for supper. It is great fun to land a 1,5kg arctic char and eat it one hour later. Our philosophy is simple, “catch and eat”. By the way, I have stopped believing in carbon fibre,
after my new bought fishingrod broke when I landed a fish last night. Luckily I brought my old (xxl 299,-kr) fiberglass rod, so no need for panic – yet.
There is no bad luck Amundsen used to say – only bad preparations. Or actually he said; There is nothing called luck, only good preparations.

There it is. Mauds anchor. Resting on the seabed at the same place for the last good 80 years.
Time is a strange matter.

Helen Tologanak is a local enthusiast and keen supporter of our MRH project.
]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=12652012-08-06T06:16:12Z2012-08-06T05:55:56Z
During the second dive we lifted some grand old planks from the seabed, by the use of air.
It worked quite well and we landed two major planks of 2″x 6″, 10 meter each.
The planks seem to be in excellent conditions after 80 years submerged in the arctic water.
jan w

Oak plank resting at seabed.

Two planks landed.

Hard as a rock.

Maudfish: Exotic and colorful among old planks of oak.

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=12352012-08-06T06:00:34Z2012-08-05T23:00:18Z
I just woke up after some good hours of sleep 8 hours behind Norway. Yesterday after arrival we spent the day and evening unpacking all the equipment and we had a quick ride over to Maud
and it all seems very similar to last year. My first observation was that the arctic water around Maud seemed more clear than last year, and from that moment I got extremely eager to get into the water and do some shooting. So that is our plan for today. Bjørn is still sleeping next door – but that will not last for much longer – time for action.
I will soon update on our first day in the water.

4th. August 2012
jan w

The last three hours before landing in CamBay we fly straight north in Canada and the scenery is flat and full of small lakes. Its like a mantra.

Until arrival first time in CamBay I didnt believe a jet plane could touch down on a gravel
runway. Now I know.

When we arrived at Maud last night I looked up at this bird over my head, and my first thought was: Is this Amundsen watching over us..
And my thought was confirmed by local Maud project supporter Helen, who told us that this bird
is an obvious sign of Amundsens prescence. Well lets hope he is happy with our ambitious plan.
After the bird I saw this hare and thought; well if that bird was Amundsen, who could this be? Any suggestions?

Well this is at least Bjørn, no doubt, watching over Maud for the first time.

SURVEY BLOG – CAMBRIDGE BAY 2012

Tomorrow we are heading for the North West and Cambridge Bay,Nunavut, Canada
This year we are travelling to Cambridge Bay and the old lady Maud with a new approach. Last year we had no allowance from the Canadian government to bring the polar ship of Roald Amundsen back home to Norway. This year we have been issued an official clearance after a long process of applying for and Export Permit.

So our first priority apart from making further studies of the ship itself is to meet the local people of Cambridge Bay again and further build that good relationship we felt we had began to develop during our stay last year. We wish to meet the Elders, the youngs and all those who have an interest for what we are planning to do and also to meet up with the local authorities to discuss our plans and our thoughts on how to end up not leaving Cambridge Bay next year making them feel that they have lost something. We wish and hope to make people feel they are part of a positive process that will benefit everyone, not only the norwegians who will finally see the old ship of Amundsen come back to Vollen after nearly 100 years since it departed in 1918.

We have a great challenge in front of us. We are a small group and we have several tasks to deal with while spending the coming month of August in Cambridge Bay.
I will do my best to bring across through this blog how we spend our days and give the reader glimpses of how it all comes along.

Bjørn Myrann my long time friend and right hand in all kind of projects I have dealt with over the years is travelling with me this year and we will also have a Norwegian Documentary Film group with us for most of the period we are here.
Tomorrow we are leaving Norway for a long trip and bags are filled with lots of stuff.
Lets see how it all gets along.

jan wanggaard, 1st august 2012

Practicing cairnbuilding before departure Canada. One big beech three from the garden.
photo: jan w
]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=12152012-07-08T18:50:18Z2012-07-08T18:50:18Z
This summer the Maud Returns Home Project Group are again intending to spend most of August in Cambridge Bay. We wish, just like previous year, to do further identification of the old polar ship, to build a best possible understanding of how we shall approach the challenging task of raising the Maud out of the arctic water next year.
This will include more detailed assessments of the state of the ship, taking samples for analysis as well as more detailed documentation with film and photography.
Further, this year we will continue to communicate our project plans and aim to build a basis for a long lasting relationship with the local people of Cambridge Bay.
We also wish to discuss with the community how we can, in a best possible way create some kind of memorial object, close to where Maud (Baymaud) has spend a good part of the last 100 years.
We do have some ideas in this respect.
The Maud Returns Home Project Group will also have a documentary film team following us this year in Cambridge Bay. More a about this in a separate NEWS.

Cairn erected by the Maud crew in the memory of Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld, first man to cross the NorthEast Passage in 1878.

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=11242012-06-28T22:21:43Z2012-06-28T22:21:43Z
Dedichen have in her master thesis used the polarship Maud, and made a suggestion for a future museum for the ship – after its return to Norway. The thesis is focused on how daylight can function as a narrative tool to tell a story, and in this case – the story of Maud.
Dedichen has used the Boat Hall (Båthallen) at the Norwegian Maritime Museum, where she basically wish to use the existing architecture as a basis. She imagines the hull placed inside the hall, immersed in the room, surrounded by an atmosphere reminiscent of the ice – some what alike what surrounds Maud today.
The jury say that “the candidate have through their thorough analysis and modeling discussed the daylights essential feature of the architecture, and has studied how the light can be used as a narrative tool without the main feature being ousted”.

Well done Hege. This was a very valuable input for us in the challenging process towards defining a future presentation environment for Maud. Hege has presented Maud in a compact environment where the old ship is positioned very much similar to how it is resting on the seabed in Cambridge Bay today, and the museum main floor is leveled with the existing waterline of the half submerged ship. This creates an interesting effect where the viewer can become very close up and “feel” intimate with the old Lady.
Still we have a clear intention to bring Maud back home to Vollen where she was built nearly 100years ago and curiuos enough Hege did not know of our plans when she made the basis for her theses. We do find her work inspiring and also extremly nice. JW

Download the thesis: “Dagslys som Narrativt Virkemiddel: Polarskipet Maud i Nytt Lys” (Norwegian pdf)]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=11222012-06-25T16:58:01Z2012-06-25T16:58:01Z
Allready in the autum of 2010 we started the process of investigating the possibility of bringing “Maud” finally back home nearly 100 years after her departure from Norway in the summer of 1918. Now in the summer of 2012 we are in the middle of the process of planning the Maud Returns Home rescue expedition of 2013. This will physically involve two major elements, which will be a submersible barge for the salvage operation and the home transport as well as a tugboat that will pull the barge first from Norway to Canada, and then the return trip from Cambridge Bay all the way to Norway with “Maud” on top of the barge. This is a trip of around
7000km in challenging conditions.
A few weeks ago we did a first little physical action by moving the barge from the westcoast of Norway to the Oslo area where we will have the “basecamp” for our expedition preparations over the next 12 months. The barge performed very well on the three days journey behind the tugboat “Chanko” which also possibly can be the tug to be used for the expedition next year.

“Jensen” the raft, heading into the open ocean for the first time – out og Haugesund on the westcoast of Norway bound for Asker.

The raft called “Jensen” and the tug “Chanko” ancored in Asker after the three days trip from the west coast of Norway. All worked well.
]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=11162012-03-24T09:17:46Z2012-03-24T09:17:46Z
Everyone are invited and we will also give a little update on status right now and indicate
where we are heading in the time to come.
We have a big challenge in front of us and we are extremely happy to be able to proceed.
So welcome at 2pm in Smuget 1, Asker, today 24th of March 2012
- if you are around

]]>0adminhttp://www.maudreturnshome.no/?p=11052012-03-16T21:52:07Z2012-03-16T21:52:07Z
The Review Board have directed the Canada Border Services Agency
to issue an Export Permit upon our request.

This is great news for us and we can now go ahead making plans and prepare ourself for the great challenge to finally bring Maud home.
First we wish to thank everyone who have supported us in the process of reaching this goal to be issued an export permit for Maud.
And we also appreciate very much the Reviewboard´s decition to support and trust our plans for a repatriation of Amundsens famous Polarship.
Its a great responsibility we now take on and we will work hard to make this project something everyone can be proud of at the end of the day
both in Canada and Norway.